Gangs of extremist Zionist settlers started on Tuesday morning desecrated al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem) under protection of Israeli regime forces.

Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that gangs of Zionist settlers entered the Mosque through the al-Maghariba Gate and desecrated the third holiest Islamic site.

They added that the Israeli regime forces intensified the presence of its forces inside the Mosque compound ahead of the incursion by Zionist extremists

Extremist Zionist settlers have intensified their deliberate acts of defiling al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.

The latest provocation by Zionists comes as the world prepares to mark marking International Quds Day this coming Friday.

Every year on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, millions of people across the world take to the streets to mark International Quds Day, showing their solidarity with the Palestinians and condemning Israel’s decades-long occupation and atrocities.

This year’s Quds Day comes weeks after the US officially opened its new embassy in occupied al-Quds amid a deadly Israeli crackdown on protests in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The decision sparked outrage and deadly protests in Palestine and Muslim nations, which deem al-Quds as the future capital of a Palestinian state.